Labyrinth
by Dark Witch2
Summary: Seven years after the incident in the Labyrinth, the story continues.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: The Stepmother  
  
Sarah was back at her house to spend the holidays with her father, stepmother, and half-brother. It was nine o' clock when at night when she and her brother Toby were in the kitchen while their parents were out. All of a sudden he stated.  
"Faeries aren't real."  
"What makes you think that, Toby?" Sarah said surprised and saddened by the remark.  
"They just aren't. The kids at school say they aren't, and if they were, I could see them. Just like how trolls, and serpents, and unicorns, and goblins."  
"Goblins are real." Sarah said this with such sternness and severity that the room lay silent for a moment. "Toby, maybe I should tell you something. A story. A true story that involved you. And me. And goblins. It was about seven years ago. I was supposed to watch you while Dad and Stepmother went out. I was angry because I always had to watch you. Your screaming and crying was not helping, and Stepmother had gone into my room and taken my bear, Lancelot, and given it to you without my consent. I couldn't take it anymore. First she had taken my mother's place, then she was taking my father, now she was infringing her desires on my life and possessions. You were still screaming uncontrollably when I walked out of your room and wishes that the Goblin king would take you away. He did. When I realized my mistake, it was too late. He had already planned on keeping you by turning you into a goblin, and keeping me in his heart, as he was in mine at the time. In order to get you back, I had to make my way through a vast Labyrinth to get to the Goblin Castle inside the very center in less than thirteen hours. I achieved my goal with not a second to spare."  
"You expect me to believe that?"  
"I wouldn't lie to you. I tell you my story is indeed true."  
"Prove it."  
"I will. Come with me," Sarah led her brother into the room that was formerly her own. She opened the closet door and called, "Hoggle! Are you there? Come out! I wish to see you! It's Sarah!"  
Nothing. She sat down on the floor as her heart dropped a bit. She thought to herself, "maybe since I don't live in this room any longer, they don't come here anymore." A tear swelled in her eye and crept down her face. Toby rolled his eyes.  
"Don't cry now, Sarah, I'm here,"  
"HOGGLE!" Sarah jumped up, kneeled down again and threw her arms around him. He was about half her height with brown wrinkled skin and was wearing many objects, especially the plastic bracelet that Sarah had given him so long ago which was worn prominently on his wrist.  
"W-w-who is t-that?" questioned the startled to the extreme Toby as he pointed. Then he said almost fearfully, "Is he a goblin?"  
"No. The name's Hoggle and I'm not a goblin. And who might you be?"  
Toby was still in shock.  
"That's Toby, my little brother."  
"The one you rescued from Jareth."  
"Right. You see Toby, my story is true."  
Toby still stood in disbelief, but a question soon popped into his mind.  
"So I could just wish that the Goblin King would take someone away and it could happen?"  
"No," said Hoggle. "You have to really want him to take whoever away with the very depths of your heart. You have to truly believe in the Goblin King and the Labyrinth as Sarah did. Jareth also has to really desire the wish to come true. Only then can you wish someone away."  
Just then, the front door opened and slammed. The voices of Sarah's father and Stepmother could be heard.  
"Well my parents will hear about this," and the tattletale ran over to Hoggle and pinned him down to the carpet and yelled, "MOM! DAD! COME UP HERE! QUICK! I NEED YOUR HELP!"  
"Toby! Shhh! Hoggle is my friend. We're not going to send you back to the Labyrinth. No! Toby Stop! You'll hurt him! He helped me get through the Labyrinth. No Toby! Stop!"  
"What the hell is going on here?!" yelled the Stepmother. She grabbed Toby away from Hoggle and tied the dwarf to a chair with a bed sheet. "How did he get here? Why is he tracking his filth into my house?!"  
"His name is Hoggle. He's from the Labyrinth."  
"What?"  
"The Labyrinth, like in the book, the magical land ruled by Jareth the Goblin King." The Stepmother's eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted to a horrible shape.  
"I see that you to have met Jareth."  
"It was seven years ago. I have not seen him since, nor do I wish to again."  
"She wished that he would take me away and turn me into a goblin."  
"WHAT?!" From out of nowhere, the Stepmother pulled a dagger from inside her skirt and pointed it at Sarah's neck. "Do you mean to tell me that Jareth went against me?!"  
"I don't understand, he was only doing my will because he loved me..."  
"Oh, but there is a lot more to the story that you do not know, but you shall never find out as I will kill you." She raised the knife and swung at Sarah's heart. The girl closed her eyes and accepted her coming death when she hears the clash of metal against bone and a fierce cry of pain that was not her own. In front of her stood her father, blood and flesh dripping onto the tan rug from the puncture the blade had made in his chest.  
"NO!" screamed Sarah and she dropped over her dead father. Then without thinking she shouted, "Goblin King! Goblin King! Take me away from here!"  
"You have to wish, Sarah," Hoggle muttered. The Stepmother was about to make another stab with her knife.  
"I wish the Goblin King would take me away, right now." The dagger was an inch from her neck when there was a flash of blinding light and Sarah was borne away on a giant owl. She fell unconscious and knew nothing of what happened for several hours. 


	2. Chapter 2: The Goblin Castle

Chapter 2: The Goblin Castle  
  
Sarah awoke to find herself in a large circular stone room with several open doorways lying atop a large black cushion. She was covered by a large piece of deep red cloth that felt similar to silk. A small furry goblin was kneeling beside her.  
"Dreenk thisss," it said holding out a silver goblet encrusted with emeralds.  
"Where am I?" Sarah murmured. As she looked around herself, she realized exactly where she was. The Goblin Castle. She thought for a moment as to why she was here and then remembered that she had wished herself here. "Why on earth would I have wished myself here. My situation will be almost as bad here as there. Well at least I'm alive."  
The goblin interrupted her thoughts.  
"Dreenk thisss," it said again, now pressing the goblet within an inch of her face. Sarah took it and pretended to give it a sip.  
"Dreenk the whole theeng."  
This goblin was obviously not going to leave until she drank the entire contents of the goblet.  
"WHAT'S THAT?! OVER THERE!" she pointed while shouting. In the few seconds where the goblin whirled around looking for whatever that was, Sarah poured the content of the goblet down a nearby stairwell. She knew better than to trust Goblin food and drink, especially after breaking the heart of their king.  
"What was eet?" hissed the goblin.  
"Oh, I must have been hallucinating."  
"Deed you drink it?" The goblin took the goblet and scurried away before she had a chance to reply.  
CRACK  
Lightning flashed and thunder sounded. In the doorway stood a figure all too familiar to Sarah.  
"Well if it isn't Sarah," said Jareth.  
"Why do you want me here/"  
"Did you not wish for me to take you away?"  
"I did, but only to save myself so that my father's death would not have been in vain, but for my wish to be true, you would have wanted me here."  
"I should think that the reason is obvious, Sarah. I have waited these seven long years foe your return. I know you still love me."  
"You are wrong Jareth. My love for you ended the moment you made me enter the Labyrinth."  
"I never made you enter. You entered to save your half-brother."  
"Well then, in order to save my half-brother, I had to enter. You showed no mercy then."  
"I showed my love Sarah. I didn't want you to leave. I thought that you would not be able to find your way through the Labyrinth and that you would have to remain with me."  
"Meaning that you were trying to take away my freedom."  
"No Sarah. I loved you. I wanted you to have happiness. To free you from the world you live in and its chains. Yet you chose to save your brother. Now there is only you here, and I ask you again to love me. In return, I will give my life to you, give you all you ever dreamed of, rescue Hoggle."  
"HOGGLE?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?!"  
"It's not what I have done with him; it's your stepmother and brother."  
"What have they done with him?"  
"Why don't we take a look." Jareth made a bubble appear out of the air and beckoned that Sarah should gaze into it. There was an image of Hoggle being stabbed by a thousand knives of fire all being controlled by the Stepmother.  
"I don't believe you. This is one of your tricks. I know so, for Stepmother does not know how to work magic, never mind daggers of flame."  
"Oh she doesn't, at least not very well, but she is with someone who can. In fact she is with my archenemy, the King of Ogres.  
"Who is that? And how is she suddenly in league with him?"  
"Actually, it has not been so suddenly. Over ten years in fact. Mind if I tell you a story, you would find it most interesting."  
"Yes, I do mind. If the image is true, then Hoggle is suffering pain beyond our imaginations."  
"Well perhaps there is a way I can help, but it involves you as well."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Maybe if you love and stay with me forever, I could save your little friend."  
"But that's not fair!"  
"Of course its fair, you do something for me, I do something for you, both of which are matters of life."  
"If you really loved me Jareth, you would rescue my friend without me doing something for you."  
"Under normal circumstances I would, but as I both want and need you here, the rescue of Hoggle depends on your choice to be with me forever and me to rescue him, or your 'no' of an answer and his death."  
"You have no power over me," said Sarah.  
"That sentence will no longer work this time Sarah, for I have indeed hit a weak spot of yours. It is now you that does not have power over me. I might advise you to look in the bubble again for you final decision."  
Sarah looked again in the bubble held in Jareth's hand to see Hoggle with deep black gashes all over himself. He had been scourged with whips of flame. Sarah thought that this could possibly be a trick of Jareth's, but what if it wasn't? She could not take the chance of leaving Hoggle to torment and death.  
"Fine Jareth! I'll stay with you!" and with that, Sarah dropped to her knees and let all of her tears built inside her eyes wash onto her hands that lay in her face.  
"I knew you would Sarah," chuckled Jareth and he snapped his fingers. 


End file.
